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Topic: So What Needs To Change? (Read 1087 times)

Various theories on various threads, but what do we really need to do to turn what is a good squad with quality players into a team that performs, although I think Koeman has had enough time I doubt he is going anywhere anytime soon. For me I would:-

Drop Rooney.Start DCL in every match for at least 10 games.Play either Schneiderlin or Ghana at home against inferior opposition.Start at least one out and out winger. Vlasic impressed last night.Sigurdsson in the centre.Drop Williams when Jags or Keane are fit.

One thing is clear to me and it is the over-rotation of players. For example, take the Man City game. The team played relatively well in that game and the stand out player for most of us was DCL. Since then RK has hardly played him or if he has it has been as a sub. Why would you do that? If a player is doing well then he surely deserves to stay in the side.

Another issue is the lack of pace or width. Pretty much all of us have been calling for Vlasic, Lookman or Mirallas to be given a go as it is crystal clear we are lacking width and pace. The only person who is seemingly against this is RK!

The definition of madness is continuing to do something when it isn't working. If RK doesn't dispense with this 'head in the sand' approach, the mild wave of anger towards him will substantially increase. The Burnley game is massive or else he could find himself dispensed with.

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I'd 100% play Gylfi in his position over Rooney. I just think he's a much better player at this point and even in this absolute shitshow, you're starting to see the genuine quality that Gylfi could bring to a balanced team.

Logged

Jeff: That's not the way to win.Kathie: Is there a way to win?Jeff: There's a way to lose more slowly.

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Rooney may well have been involved in a lot of our goals but the way he runs around like a headless chicken kills our shape and hurts the teams as a whole. Either tell him to stop roaming and stick to his position more or drop him, the way he roams around does us no favours. He is not a Messi or Hazard type figure who are actually good enough to free roam, Rooney in hos older years is a limited player and needs to play within those limits to be truely effective.

I think a team without Rooney has better shape and overall would function better outweighing what Rooney offeres on an indivdiual basis.

We severly lack pace without Lookman, Vlasic and Calvert-Lewin, so need to play 2 of those 3 to be a proper direct attacking threat (probably Vlasic and Calvert-Lewin).

When Jags and Keane are fit, Williams needs to be dropped, he's been a walking disaster this season.

Start Kenny in as many games as is realistic instead of Martina, I don't actually think Kenny played that well last night but he's still better than bloody Martina.

Play Sigurdsson in the number 10 role where he belongs.

Stop playing Gueye and Schneiderlin at home to weak opposition, it invites pressure, we need to be on the front foot in these games.

You CAN'T have your width supplied only from an aging Baines who is clearly not as good as he once was (still a great player for us though) and Kenny/Martina, they are just not good enough to be a real threat.

Failing that, get someone else in to manage the team who does actually know what they are doing and is not blind to extremely obvious problems.

It's quite a complicated issue I reckon. It's a mixture of circumstances, the manager and the players so a lot needs to change.

The recruitment doesn't look great at this point and there are big gaps in the squad. And while people often dismiss it I do think we're struggling with the fixture pileup brought on by the EL. There's not enough time to prepare tactically for each game. Last night we played a diamond. A very specific system, new to the players, and it didn't start working until the second half. It's hard to drill it in to the players in a few days.

The manager needs to decide on a balanced system or two and hammer it in to the players. I feel we do need to rotate players due to the number of games we have but we don't need to change the shape from game-to-game as it's confusing. We need to pick a settled back four though and some players have to play because we're better when they're in the team. Keep Sandro and Klaassen for the EL as they're struggling to adapt.

The players also need to grow a fucking set. They're either really low on confidence, which I would put down to our recent run of form and the confusing tactics rather than man-management, or they're not playing for the manager. In each case I want to know why. If they've given up that's the second time in recent years so they really need to stop being so precious and do their jobs.

I wouldn't be arsed to see him go but I'm not sure who we could get. Tuchel's style of football with some of our players is a scary thought and I'm not sure how many in-work managers would consider an offer this early in to the season

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If it doesn't get any better quickly I would seriously look at installing Unsworth as caretaker manager if we can't tempt a bigger out of work name.

This isn't because I am banging the Unsworth drum but he gets Everton, he gets his teams playing a certain way and it looks like he believes in playing a balanced system with width and tempo. I just see a disconnect in that side between the manager and players. They look lost, devoid of confidence and lacking in spark. I just don't think he's a good manager. He's a very experienced individual who commands short term respect from his achievements in the game but when that wears off he just looks lost.

If he doesn't start playing with some width very soon he'll be out of a job.

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You've got to put some pace in the squad. Nothing else matters if we don't have at least 2 players who can run at defenders, then we're toothless. Pace is so crucial in the modern game.

I'd have DCL as our number 9 (obvious at this point) with Vlasic, Lookman, Lennon fuck it, even Kev.

I'm all for giving players minutes and time to improve, but players like Klassen are going to have to wait for their chance, because we're in a hole at the moment, and we're not going to get out of it playing players who aren't acclimatised to the league or are on zero confidence.

Martinez was sacked for his stubbornness and Koeman looks to be on the same path. The very best managers are constantly adapting. The solution seems so simple to all of us watching in the stands. He needs to introduce some pace and balance into the side immediately or he will be gone. It's as simple as that.